Ecolab $6M Unpaid Overtime Settlement Approved by Calif. Judge

A California judge has brought an end to a year-long lawsuit against Ecolab, granting approval for a $6 million unpaid overtime settlement.

The lawsuit, filed in August 2016, alleged that the company Ecolab purposely misclassified certain employees as overtime exempt in order to avoid paying overtime compensation. Ecolab Inc. is a provider of water, hygiene, and energy technology. The overtime lawsuit was filed by a group of service managers who claimed to have been denied their rightful overtime pay because of the company’s alleged misclassification.

The federal judge in charge of the case, U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton, ended up granting approval to the unpaid overtime settlement reached between the two parties for $5.95 million.

This was a “very good result for the class,” Judge Hamilton said. Indeed, most of what the plaintiffs asked for in the settlement was granted. In the unpaid overtime settlement, the 158 workers involved in the class action suit would be granted $442 per week of work. The five class representatives would be granted a bonus of $5,000 for their role in leading the overtime class action suit.

This was not the first wage and hour lawsuit filed against Ecolab, nor the first that reached an unpaid overtime settlement in the millions. In fact, a previous suit against Ecolab was settled for $35 million just last year. That lawsuit lasted much longer, dragging on for seven years of litigation. That lawsuit, too, was filed over the misclassification of workers, and the hundreds of class members each received over $500 per week of work.

Wage and Hour Regulations

There are a series of both federal and state wage and hour laws put in place to protect workers and ensure they are treated fairly. However, many workers across the country do not know the protections that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) offers, which can lead to employers taking advantage of them, in some cases requiring underpaid overtime work despite the illegality of doing so.

Some workers may find themselves unable to file wage and hour complaints like this unpaid overtime lawsuit because they are not aware of FLSA rules. Others may be afraid that their employers will retaliate or even fire them if they speak up about these kinds of FLSA violations. To protect workers who help to enforce FLSA rules, laws also exist to protect workers from discrimination based on wage and hour complaints.

Pursuing an Unpaid Overtime Settlement

If you have worked for an employer like Ecolab that may have failed to follow the Fair Labor Standards Act or state labor laws, you may be able to either join a wage and hour class action lawsuit or file an unpaid overtime lawsuit of your own.

Join a Free California Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay within the past 3 years in California, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now